Immigration Tech & Marketing - The GMI Rocket Show - Hosted by Roman Zelichenko.

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May 2026

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The GMI Rocket podcast is hosted by me, Roman Zelichenko, an immigration lawyer-turned-immigration tech startup founder interviewing immigration technology founder and executives, and other influential people in the immigration and global mobility industry About me: I'm the co-founder and CEO of LaborLess, an H-1B compliance startup (http://www.laborless.io) I'm the founder of GMI Rocket, a digital market agency helping immigration and global mobility firms with marketing (http://www.gmirocket.com)

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May 20, 2026Episode 1451 hr 2 min

Priyanka Kulkarni, CEO, Casium: AI-driven business immigration startup

🎙 On episode 145 of the GMI Rocket show, our guest is Priyanka Kulkarni, an EB-1 and founder of Casium, an AI-driven, business immigration company for startups, founders, and employers.(❤️ Huge thank you to this episode’s main sponsor, 8am™ DocketWise! With a recent company rebrand to 8am, 8am Docketwise is an all-in-one immigration case management platform with best-in-class forms and questionnaires, industry-leading integrations, a great blog and podcast, and much more. Check out Docketwise here! 👉 https://t.ly/ELlEA 👈)(❤️ Huge thank you to this episode’s second sponsor, LEX Reception! A legal intake, reception and client support service immigration professionals use to never miss a client call or inquiry again. Get $250 off your first month by using this link! 👉 https://lnkd.in/e9rADmmD 👈)Priyanka grew up in Mumbai, initially set on becoming a lawyer before realizing the realities of the legal profession in India pushed her in a different direction. Naturally drawn to math, science, and building, she pivoted to computer science and, after graduating Bachelors of Engineer, joined Microsoft in India, working on machine learning problems like fraud detection and search relevance.She later moved to the U.S. on an L-1 visa, continued advancing her work in AI, and earned two master’s degrees (from the University of Washington and another from Johns Hopkins) while working full-time and navigating the complexities of the U.S. immigration system herself.But when she wanted to start a company through an AI incubator, she realized her visa limited her ability to do so. After pursuing her EB-1, she saw how complex and opaque immigration was, which led to the idea for Casium—an AI-powered immigration platform for individuals and companies.So, here’s what we’re going to talk about: 🔹 Priyanka’s immigration early life, studies, and immigrating to the US🔹 Priyanka’s work at Microsoft while getting two Master’s degrees in CS and applied math🔹 How Priyanka’s visa initially stopped her from launching a startup and led to creating Casium🔹 How Casium works today, what clients it helps, thoughts on the future of immigration, and more!So please join us, ask questions and leave comments!

May 18, 2026Episode 1441 hr 15 min

Nhu-y Le, Founder, Optima LegalOps Consulting: Immigration ops consulting

🎙 On episode 144 of the GMI Rocket show, our guest is my friend Nhu Y Le, founder of Optima LegalOps Consulting, which helps immigration firms and startups with operations and growth!(❤️ Huge thank you to this episode’s main sponsor, 8am™ DocketWise! With a recent company rebrand to 8am, 8am Docketwise is an all-in-one immigration case management platform with best-in-class forms and questionnaires, industry-leading integrations, a great blog and podcast, and much more. Check out Docketwise here! 👉 https://t.ly/ELlEA 👈)(❤️ Huge thank you to this episode’s second sponsor, LEX Reception! A legal intake, reception and client support service immigration professionals use to never miss a client call or inquiry again. Get $250 off your first month by using this link! 👉 https://lnkd.in/e9rADmmD 👈)Y, originally from Vietnam, immigrated to the US as a small girl with her family. She grew up in an immigrant household and eventually attended law school in Boston. Upon graduating in 2013, Y and I actually started our first jobs at the same law firm in the Arlington, Virginia area!From there, Y went on to have an incredibly unique and illustrious career, moving to Fragomen, where she experienced working at a large immigration law firm, to Microsoft, where she worked in one of the largest in-house immigration teams, to a VC-backed immigration tech startup and finally to an EB-3 employee sponsor consulting service, where she stepped into a chief operations officer role.After spending a handful of years working as a COO, Y realized that immigration law firms and up-and-coming tech companies would greatly benefit from her knowledge and experience. So she ended up leaving her full-time job and launching Optima.So, here’s what we’re going to talk about: 🔹 Y’s immigration story, early life, path through law school and getting into immigration law🔹 What it was like for Y to have so many unique jobs in immigration and what she’s learned🔹 How Y knew that her experience could turn into a business, and how she launched Optima🔹 What Optima LegalOps Consulting does today, how she helps clients, and what the future holdsSo please join us, ask questions and leave comments!----Check out Optima LegalOps Consulting here: https://www.optimalegalops.com/Follow Y on LinkedIn here: / nhuyle Digital marketing for immigration & global mobility firms at GMI Rocket: https://gmirocket.com/Digitize your LCA posting and PAF process with LaborLess: https://laborless.io/

May 15, 2026Episode 1431 hr 12 min

Sampei Omichi, Founder, Ellis: a modern, tech-first immigration law firm

🎙 On episode 143 of the GMI Rocket show, I’m speaking with an immigrant-turned-immigration tech founder, Sampei Omichi, Founder and CEO of Ellis, a modern, tech-first immigration law firm.(❤️ Huge thank you to this episode’s main sponsor, 8am™ DocketWise! With a recent company rebrand to 8am, 8am Docketwise is an all-in-one immigration case management platform with best-in-class forms and questionnaires, industry-leading integrations, a great blog and podcast, and much more. Check out Docketwise here! 👉 https://t.ly/ELlEA 👈)(❤️ Huge thank you to this episode’s second sponsor, LEX Reception! A legal intake, reception and client support service immigration professionals use to never miss a client call or inquiry again. Get $250 off your first month by using this link! 👉 https://lnkd.in/e9rADmmD 👈)Sampei came to the U.S. from Vietnam on an F‑1 visa to study at Babson College, where he focused on entrepreneurship. After graduation, he wasn’t approved for OPT, so he pursued his own O‑1 visa as a founder—an experience that opened his eyes to just how hard the immigration process can be, especially for global talent trying to stay and build in the U.S.He had spent over two years helping grow a crypto startup as one of its earliest employees, but when they couldn’t sponsor his H‑1B, he had to find his own way forward. That journey sparked the idea for Ellis.What began as a platform to help immigrants manage their journeys eventually evolved into a tech-first immigration law firm, one designed from the ground up by someone who lived the process and believed it could be done better.So, here’s what we’re going to talk about: 🔹 Sampei’s early life in Vietnam and Japan, and growing up attending an American school.🔹 Sapmei’s move to the US to attend Babson College and his experience as an F-1 OPT student.🔹 How Sampei went from losing the H-1B lottery to getting his O-1 to start Ellis.🔹 What Ellis does today, what separates it from other immigration firms, and where it’s going.So please join us, ask questions and leave comments!----Check out the Ellis here: https://www.ellis.comFollow Sampei on LinkedIn here: / sampeiomichi Digital marketing for immigration & global mobility firms at GMI Rocket: https://gmirocket.com/Digitize your LCA posting and PAF process with LaborLess: https://laborless.io/

May 13, 2026Episode 1421 hr 11 min

Joey McKeown, Founder, ImmigrationJobs: Immigration law firm recruiting

🎙 On episode 142 of the GMI Rocket show, I’m speaking with a friend and immigration-focused recruiter, Joseph (Joey) McKeown, Founder of ImmigrationJobs!(❤️ Huge thank you to this episode’s main sponsor, 8am™ DocketWise! With a recent company rebrand to 8am, 8am Docketwise is an all-in-one immigration case management platform with best-in-class forms and questionnaires, industry-leading integrations, a great blog and podcast, and much more. Check out Docketwise here! 👉 https://t.ly/ELlEA 👈)(❤️ Huge thank you to this episode’s second sponsor, LEX Reception! A legal intake, reception and client support service immigration professionals use to never miss a client call or inquiry again. Get $250 off your first month by using this link! 👉 https://lnkd.in/e9rADmmD 👈)Joey spent nearly two decades working in immigration law firms — first as a paralegal, then a legal writer, and later transitioning into HR and operations. Over this period, Joey developed a deep understanding of what both law firms and immigration professionals need in the hiring process.Joey eventually moved to Spain with his family, and after a small break from a long career, started exploring an idea he’d long considered: building a recruitment solution tailored specifically to immigration law.It began as a job board, but quickly evolved as Joey spoke with attorneys and managing partners about their real hiring challenges. Rather than a simple job board, immigration law firms needed high‑touch recruitment services to truly find and vet top talent, whether attorneys, paralegals, or support staff. And that’s how ImmigrationJobs was born.So, here’s what we’re going to talk about: 🔹 Joey’s early life, education and his career across multiple immigration law firms🔹 Joey’s relocation to Spain and how that move set off his entrepreneurial journey 🔹 The early days of ImmigrationJobs and Joey’s pivot from a job board to services🔹 What ImmigrationJobs does today, who it helps, and thoughts on the future of the practiceSo please join us, ask questions and leave comments!----Check out the ImmigrationJobs here: https://immigrationjobs.io/Follow Joey on LinkedIn here: / joseph-mckeown Digital marketing for immigration & global mobility firms at GMI Rocket: https://gmirocket.com/Digitize your LCA posting and PAF process with LaborLess: https://laborless.io/

May 12, 2026Episode 14158 min

Olu'yomi Ojo, CEO, Agora: Tech-enabled O-1, EB-1, and EB-2 NIW visa support

🎙 On episode 141 of the GMI Rocket show, I’m speaking with Olu'yomi Ojo, an EB-1 recipient, serial entrepreneur, and founder and Agora, a legal tech platform helping with O-1, EB-1A, and EB2-NIWs(❤️ Huge thank you to this episode’s main sponsor, 8am™ DocketWise! With a recent company rebrand to 8am, 8am Docketwise is an all-in-one immigration case management platform with best-in-class forms and questionnaires, industry-leading integrations, a great blog and podcast, and much more. Check out Docketwise here! 👉 https://t.ly/ELlEA 👈)(❤️ Huge thank you to this episode’s second sponsor, LEX Reception! A legal intake, reception and client support service immigration professionals use to never miss a client call or inquiry again. Get $250 off your first month by using this link! 👉 https://lnkd.in/e9rADmmD 👈)Olu’yomi Ojo is a Nigerian-born entrepreneur whose journey began with a student visa to the U.S., but whose resourcefulness was shaped much earlier — watching his single mother raise five kids with relentless creativity.He launched his first design company while still in college, and after recognizing how hard it was to get quality print work done, pivoted to create Printivo, Nigeria’s first online printing company. Printivo grew from a three-person team in a garage to a VC-backed company with over 50 employees.After stepping down as CEO in 2020, Oluyomi moved to the U.S. on an EB-1 visa and immediately felt the friction in the immigration process: endless emails, no structure, and no clarity. When friends and founders started reaching out with the same frustrations around O-1 and EB-1 visas, he realized the problem wasn’t just personal, it was systemic. That insight led to Agora.So, here’s what we’re going to talk about: 🔹 Olu'yomi’s early life in Nigeria, education and launching his first entrepreneurial endeavors🔹 Oluyomi’s decision to step away and experience moving to America on an EB-1 🔹 How that experience ultimately led to him launching Agora🔹 What Agora does today, who it helps, and thoughts on the future of immigration techSo please join us, ask questions and leave comments!----Check out the Agora here: https://agoravisa.com/Follow Olu'yomi on LinkedIn here: / oluyomiojo Digital marketing for immigration & global mobility firms at GMI Rocket: https://gmirocket.com/Digitize your LCA posting and PAF process with LaborLess: https://laborless.io/

March 4, 2026Episode 1401 hr 7 min

Harish Parwani, CTO, Crossing: AI immigration tool for lawyers & employers

🎙 On episode 140 of the GMI Rocket show, I’m speaking with Harish Parwani, an immigrant, tech leader, and co-founder and CTO of Crossing, an AI immigration platform for lawyers and employers.(❤️ Huge thank you to this episode’s main sponsor, 8am™ DocketWise! With a recent company rebrand to 8am, 8am Docketwise is an all-in-one immigration case management platform with best-in-class forms and questionnaires, industry-leading integrations, a great blog and podcast, and much more. Check out Docketwise here! 👉 https://t.ly/ELlEA 👈)(❤️ Huge thank you as well to the episode's second sponsor, Lawfully! Lawfully Pro, built specifically for immigration law firms, helps them track clients' USCIS, NVC, and DOL case statuses with detailed update history, visa trends visualizations, visa bulletin trends and more. Check out Lawfully here! 👉 https://lnkd.in/dzkT-wJS 👈)Harish came to the U.S. nearly 25 years ago from India for grad school at NYU. He started on an F-1 visa, worked through OPT in New York and Boston, then got an H-1B, green card, and eventually U.S. citizenship. The full immigrant journey.His career focused on DevOps and platform engineering, eventually leading data science and AI teams, where he saw firsthand how AI was transforming workflows. He also sponsored others for visas over the years, and his wife is an immigration lawyer, so he’s seen immigration from all sides.With that experience, and feeling that no one was solving immigration holistically, Harish left his job to start Crossing, an AI-first, full-service immigration platform for lawyers and employers.So, here’s what we’re going to talk about: 🔹 Harish’s early life, education abroad and immigration journey to NYU as an F-1 student.🔹 Harish’s experience working, navigating US immigration himself and hiring H-1B workers 🔹 How these experiences, alongside his immigration attorney wife, led to building Crossing🔹 What Crossing does today, who Harish’s ideal clients are, and thoughts on the future of legal AISo please join us, ask questions and leave comments!----Check out the Crossing here: https://crossinglegal.ai/Follow Harish on LinkedIn here: / harishparwani Digital marketing for immigration & global mobility firms at GMI Rocket: https://gmirocket.com/Digitize your LCA posting and PAF process with LaborLess: https://laborless.io/

March 2, 2026Episode 1391 hr 4 min

Karen Cygal, CEO, Global IQ, Global mobility and HR data insights and tools

🎙 On episode 139 of the GMI Rocket show, I’m speaking with a global mobility and HR data company leader, Karen Cygal, the CEO and co-founder of Global IQ!.(❤️ Huge thank you to this episode’s main sponsor, 8am™ DocketWise! With a recent company rebrand to 8am, 8am Docketwise is an all-in-one immigration case management platform with best-in-class forms and questionnaires, industry-leading integrations, a great blog and podcast, and much more. Check out Docketwise here! 👉 https://t.ly/ELlEA 👈)(❤️ Huge thank you as well to the episode's second sponsor, Lawfully! Lawfully Pro, built specifically for immigration law firms, helps them track clients' USCIS, NVC, and DOL case statuses with detailed update history, visa trends visualizations, visa bulletin trends and more. Check out Lawfully here! 👉 https://lnkd.in/dzkT-wJS 👈)After finishing her master’s in Economics at NYU, Karen wanted real economic work — not Wall Street — so she joined ORC Worldwide, a major player in global mobility data. She planned to build econometric models for six months… but ended up running the department, learning how companies use data to move people around the world.Karen eventually joined WERC, working with their member data to help make the organization better. But she began hearing from members: “can you help us analyze our own data too?”WERC didn't provide data consulting, so she started helping companies on the side, eventually turning that side hustle into Global IQ.So, here’s what we’re going to talk about:🔹 Karen’s early life, education, and economics degree at NYU which led to her first job in mobility.🔹 Karen’s work at ORC, then Mercer, and then WERC and how she combined data with global HR.🔹 How Karen started helping companies on the side with data analytics, and grew that to Global IQ.🔹 What Global IQ does today, who it helps, and Karen’s thoughts on HR data as a service.And more!So please join us, ask questions and leave comments!----Check out the Global IQ here: https://global-iq-data.com/Follow Karen on LinkedIn here: / karen-cygal Digital marketing for immigration & global mobility firms at GMI Rocket: https://gmirocket.com/Digitize your LCA posting and PAF process with LaborLess: https://laborless.io/

February 18, 2026Episode 1381 hr 2 min

Uzi Isman, CEO, Coverable, AI immigration case prep and document management

🎙 On episode 138 of the GMI Rocket show, I’m talking to 19 year-old founder Uzi Isman, co-founder and CEO of Coverable, an instant immigration case generation and document management AI tool.(❤️ Huge thank you to this episode’s main sponsor, 8am™ DocketWise! With a recent company rebrand to 8am, 8am Docketwise is an all-in-one immigration case management platform with best-in-class forms and questionnaires, industry-leading integrations, a great blog and podcast, and much more. Check out Docketwise here! 👉 https://t.ly/ELlEA 👈)(❤️ Huge thank you as well to the episode's second sponsor, Lawfully! Lawfully Pro, built specifically for immigration law firms, helps them track clients' USCIS, NVC, and DOL case statuses with detailed update history, visa trends visualizations, visa bulletin trends and more. Check out Lawfully here! 👉 https://lnkd.in/dzkT-wJS 👈)Uzi’s family is from Argentina, but he grew up in Aventura, Florida in a Spanish-speaking community. In high school, Uzi had straight As, but couldn’t sit still. He started a nonprofit to help young people register to vote, raised money for food for Israel at the start of the war, and interned at a law firm.An immigration law firm to be precise, where Uzi helped with O-1 and EB-1 cases every day after school. One day he turned to his boss and said, “I’m going to automate all of this one day with AI.”Eventually Uzi went to Carnegie Mellon, majoring in Quantitative Physics. During a freshman coding class he worked on a project, which led to building an immigration “cover letter generator” based on his experience at the law firm… which eventually led to the founding of Coverable.So, here’s what we’re going to talk about:🔹 Uzi’s family’s immigration story from Europe to Argentina to the US, and Uzi’s early life.🔹 How Uzi’s extracurriculars, such as his nonprofit, fundraising, and a legal internship, set him up🔹 Uzi’s experience at Carnegie Mellon and how he met his cofounders and started Coverable🔹 How Coverable works, how it helps immigration lawyers, and Uzi’s thoughts on legal AIAnd more!So please join us, ask questions and leave comments!----Check out the Coverable here: https://www.coverable.ai/Follow Uzi on LinkedIn here: / uzielisman Digital marketing for immigration & global mobility firms at GMI Rocket: https://gmirocket.com/Digitize your LCA posting and PAF process with LaborLess: https://laborless.io/

February 17, 2026Episode 1371 hr 7 min

Oscar Pardo-Planas, Oscar’s Green Card: EB-1 & EB-2 NIW YouTube channel

🎙 On episode 137 of the GMI Rocket show, I’m talking to a scientist and extraordinary Green Card recipient-turned-YouTuber Oscar Pardo-Planas, founder of Oscar’s Green Card!(❤️ Huge thank you to this episode’s main sponsor, 8am™ DocketWise! With a recent company rebrand to 8am, 8am Docketwise is an all-in-one immigration case management platform with best-in-class forms and questionnaires, industry-leading integrations, a great blog and podcast, and much more. Check out Docketwise here! 👉 https://t.ly/ELlEA 👈)(❤️ Huge thank you as well to the episode's second sponsor, Lawfully! Lawfully Pro, built specifically for immigration law firms, helps them track clients' USCIS, NVC, and DOL case statuses with detailed update history, visa trends visualizations, visa bulletin trends and more. Check out Lawfully here! 👉 https://lnkd.in/dzkT-wJS 👈)Oscar, originally from Spain, studied chemical engineering and first came to the US on an exchange visa for his Master’s degree. He went on to pursue his PhD in bioengineering, switching to an F-1.Oscar graduated and got a job in the biomedical field, eventually working on aspects of the COVID vaccine. However, he kept losing the H-1B visa lottery, and after three tries Oscar was seemingly out of luck. His employer sponsored his EB-1 and, at the same time, he went for his own EB-2 NIW.Ultimately, both were approved, but some of Oscar’s colleagues heard about his immigration success and asked him for help. He started by sharing what he did, but realized that so many others could benefit. That became a course, coaching, and eventually Oscar’s Green Card YouTube Channel.So, here’s what we’re going to talk about:🔹 Oscar’s early life in Spain, how he got into engineering, and why he decided to study in the US🔹 Oscar’s US immigration path and how he filed his own EB-2 NIW out of frustration🔹 How helping his colleagues turned into documents, courses, and now Oscar’s Green Card🔹 What Oscar’s Green Card channel is about, what other services he provides, and thoughts on DIYAnd more!So please join us, ask questions and leave comments!

January 28, 2026Episode 1361 hr 2 min

Xiao Wang & Hanna Asmussen, Boundless: Euro mobility tech Localyze acquired

🎙 Episode 136 of the GMI Rocket show is the next M&A Series episode, on Boundless acquiring Localyze! I’m excited to host Boundless CEO Xiao Wang and Localyze CEO Hanna Marie Asmussen!(❤️ Huge thank you to this episode’s main sponsor, 8am™ DocketWise! With a recent company rebrand to 8am, 8am Docketwise is an all-in-one immigration case management platform with best-in-class forms and questionnaires, industry-leading integrations, a great blog and podcast, and much more. Check out Docketwise here! 👉 https://t.ly/ELlEA 👈)(❤️ Huge thank you as well to the episode's second sponsor, Lawfully! Lawfully Pro, built specifically for immigration law firms, helps them track clients' USCIS, NVC, and DOL case statuses with detailed update history, visa trends visualizations, visa bulletin trends and more. Check out Lawfully here! 👉 https://lnkd.in/dzkT-wJS 👈)Originally from Germany, Hanna’s love for travel started early. She did a high school exchange program to Argentina at age 15 and, combined with her studies in environmental engineering, held internships in int’l development in the Dominican Republic, China, and more. The problem? She had to organize her travel on her own. This pain would eventually lead to the founding of Localyze.Localyze started with B2C immigration in mind and eventually shifted to helping businesses relocate employees across Europe.And with growth in mind, Localyze wanted to expand into the US. Boundless, wanted to expand into Europe. The acquisition was a perfect match.So, here’s what we’re going to talk about:🔹 Hanna’s early life in Germany, education, and travels from a young age🔹 Hanna’s work as a consultant, and how she got the idea to build Localyze🔹 The launch of Localyze, pivot to B2B, European expansion and connecting with Boundless🔹 How the acquisition transpired, goals moving forward, and immigration tech in the futureAnd more!So please join us, ask questions and leave comments!#immigration #immigrationlaw #legaltech #globalmobility #relocation----Check out Localze here: https://www.localyze.com/ & Boundless here: https://www.boundless.com/Follow Xiao on LinkedIn here: https://shorturl.at/j79T6 and Hanna here: https://shorturl.at/f68X2Digital marketing for immigration & global mobility firms at GMI Rocket: https://gmirocket.com/Digitize your LCA posting and PAF process with LaborLess: https://laborless.io/